Photos: Iraq celebrates victory over ISIS in Mosul

Jul 11, 2017 11:35 IST

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A general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City. The European Union on Sunday hailed the defeat of the Islamic State group in Mosul as a ‘decisive step’ in fighting terrorism but called on Iraqis to work together to improve their country. (AFP)

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Iraq's national flag is suspended to a drone of Iraq's federal police as forces celebrate in the Old City of Mosul. (FADEL SENNA / AFP)

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A member of Iraq's federal police kisses a girl as forces celebrate in the Old City of Mosul . The victory marked the formal end of a bloody battle that lasted nearly nine months, left much of Iraq’s second-largest city in ruins, killed thousands of people and displaced nearly a million more. (FADEL SENNA / AFP)

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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi earlier announced that pro-government forces had retaken the second city from IS after a months-long battle that killed thousands of civilians and forced nearly a million people from their homes. (AFP)

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Iraqi people celebrate the liberation of the embattled city of Mosul in Baghdad. (Khalid al Mousily / REUTERS)

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Mosul, the largest city in either Iraq or Syria held by the Islamic State, and its loss signifies the decline of the territorial claims of a terrorist group that had its beginnings in the aftermath of the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. (REUTERS)

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Iraqis gather in Tahrir square as they wait for the final announcement of the defeat of the Islamic state militants, in Baghdad, Iraq. (Hadi Mizban / AP)

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Children holding Iraq’s national flag react as Iraqi forces celebrate in the Old City of Mosul. (REUTERS)

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An Iraqi boy flashes the sign for victory as he celebrates in the Old City of Mosul. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

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IS still controls swathes of western Iraq including much of the desert Anbar province and rival forces, which largely cooperated against the jihadists in Mosul, are expected to compete for a share of the spoils. (Felipe Dana / AP)

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A member of Iraqi Federal police kisses an old woman in West Mosul, Iraq. (Alaa Al-Marjani / REUTERS)

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Smoke billowing following an airstrike by US-led international coalition forces targeting Islamic State (IS) group in Mosul. IS still controls swathes of western Iraq including much of the desert Anbar province and rival forces, which largely cooperated against the jihadists in Mosul, are expected to compete for a share of the spoils. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

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The prime minister joined hundreds of civilians in Mosul to celebrate the army’s gains over ISIL. (AFP)

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Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, center, holds a national flag upon his arrival to Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 9, 2017. Backed by the U.S.-led coalition, Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October. (AP)

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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (R) shaking hands with police and army officers upon his arrival in Mosul. (AFP)

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Iraqi forces drive their vehicle past a mosque in Mosul's Old City. The nearly nine-month battle for Mosul has ruined parts of the city, killed thousands of civilians and displaced nearly one million. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

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Members of the Emergency Response Division rest in the Old City of Mosul. (Alaa Al-Marjani / REUTERS)

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Iraqi civilians sit inside a house as they wait to be taken out of the Old City during fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in Mosul, (Felipe Dana / AP)

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Iraqi Federal Police celebrate the victory in the Old City . (Ahmed Saad / Reuters)